Emma Cifuentes on The Impact of Team Member Satisfaction on Dental Care

In this episode of The Dental Economist Show, host Mike Huffaker is joined by Emma Cifuentes, Chief Operating Officer at Progressive Dental Management. 

Join them as they discuss: 

• The importance of team member satisfaction and its impact on dental care
• The challenges of growth without private equity sponsorship and strategies for addressing them
• Building relationships with doctors
• The use of technology
• The impact of COVID-19
• Continuous learning
• Prioritizing patient care
• And much more!

Emma Cifuentes is Chief Operating Officer at Progressive Dental Management, who provide patients with restorative and cosmetic dental services. Progressive Dental Management also incorporates Smileland Pediatric Dentistry and Braces, Atlantic Dental Arts, Perfect Dental, Royal Dental Centre, and Pediatric Dental Care Waltham. She started working for Progressive Dental Management over thirteen years ago as a dental assistant.

Episode Highlights 

Transparency and Clear Communication: Emma emphasizes the importance of transparency and clear communication in the workplace, saying that she always encourages staff to ask questions if they need clarification. She also notes the value of separating personal feelings from business decisions, saying “that’s where the confusion sometimes comes in”. Emma believes that maintaining clear communication leads to a happier, more fulfilled team, and better work completion. 

Growing Without Outside Private Equity Sponsorship: Emma discusses the challenges of growth without private equity sponsorship and the strategies they use to address them. She says that when dental businesses don’t have “somebody to back you up”, then they have to be “very smart” about every move they make, since one mistake will cost them more than a company with outside sponsorship. However, Emma also highlights the benefits of having full control over the business’ operations, which allows for personalized and hands-on involvement. The major challenge lies in balancing growth with quick decision-making, which can often be hampered without outside sponsorship.

Streamlining Operations and Reducing Labor Costs: Technology has played a major role in the success of Progressive Dental Management’s growth. Emma says that they hired a company who provides a virtual receptionist and billing department, which reduced headcount and saved money. For instance, where they previously needed three receptionists, they now only need two, plus the virtual receptionist. What’s more, digital scanning and AI have streamlined the dental side of the business, which further enhanced efficiency and reduced the need for additional personnel.

Consistency Across Practices: Emma describes her management philosophy using the 80/20 rule to balance standardization and personalization. She says 80% of the operations should be uniform across practices, including systems, protocols, procedures, and check-in and check-out processes. The remaining 20% accounts for the unique aspects of practices. These might include team culture, clinician styles, and demographic differences. 

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